Almost nothing symbolizes the upper Midwest more than acres of pristine lakes and recreational pursuits they support. But burgeoning populations of aquatic invasive species (AIS), including zebra mussel and Eurasian watermilfoil, are putting this iconic landscape—and its associated ecosystems and economies—at risk. A new web-based program is helping to reduce the chance of infestation.

Researchers with the Northern Research Station and their collaborators at the University of Minnesota combined their knowledge of aquatic invasive species to develop an award winning, web-based program that optimizes the location of watercraft inspection stations throughout Minnesota to best intercept likely infested boats before they reach uninfested lakes. The program uses existing knowledge about waterbody infestation status and watercraft movement between lakes (more than 1.6 million data points aggregated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources from 2014 to 2017). The objective of the optimization model is to protect uninfested lakes from exposure to likely infested watercraft. It does this by selecting locations of inspection stations that maximize the number of boaters that would pass at least one station along a route between an infested lake and an uninfested lake. It further takes into consideration budget constraints that would limit the number of available inspection stations. Counties throughout Minnesota are using the model, which is available online as the “Aquatic Invasive Species Explorer,” to affirm previously decided inspection sites and identify more strategic locations. The program was awarded the “2022 Innovative Impact Case Award” from the University of Minnesota’s Office of the Vice President for Research.